“Within each one of us there is a spiritual compass. It points always toward the good, toward what is holy. The compass is made of our values, what we believe and hold sacred, and over the years our experience makes the compass within us even more accurate, refining our ability to seek the right direction in life, making us even more sensitive to the pull of compassion and common sense. Therefore, we do not have to be afraid that we will get lost, wandering the wilderness of this age. We only have to follow where our heart leads and our reason points the way.” —Steven Charleston, Daily Facebook post.

Cynthia Bourgeault would agree with Steven Charleston about a spiritual compass. She calls it an inward GPS (Global Positioning System), similar to the one we use in our car to get us to the right location. What we need to know is where we are—and then the address of where we want to go—and the GPS will get us there.

Sometimes we are not certain of exactly where we are; but we have a good idea of where we want to go. Our aim above all is to keep our connection to God. I love it when our ideal location is not yet on the map, and the GPS takes us as close as possible. This also may be true in regard to our spiritual life.

Bourgeault calls our heart a “God Positioning System.” When it is attuned, turned on, it will allow us to achieve balance in a whole different way: perceiving by separating and differentiating things from each other; perceiving the whole and discerning our place within the whole. For her, becoming attuned to this spiritual GPS comes through the contemplative practice of Centering Prayer.